MattR

Makes me want to get a Coronation and a crane to recreate this on my layout!

A train set is a retail pre-packaged box of motive power/stock/track/sometimes controller. Add one thing that wasn't in the box and it's not a train set anymore. If you use only the things in the box on a permanent layout with scenery and operate it to the most mind-numbingly accurate real life standard as recorded at Flibbetyflom Station from 1-4 p.m. on Jan. 27, 1959, it's still a trainset.

Signal box parts have been painted and windows glazed. All that's left is the final assembly tonight (hopefully). Miller Street terrace has a base coat of white paint and is now ready for details to be painted. Still need to make the low-relief roof and chimneys. Spent most of last week designing some 3D models for the low-relief version of Brooksbottoms Mill/The Spinnings as it is today. Printed the first piece of the stair tower yesterday -- looking very promising.

Sounds good! I was just wondering about the evaporation, if I'm going to end up using the whole can because what I spray in the cup keeps evaporating before I can use it all.

How do you go about using the contact cleaner? Spray some in a cup and dip in a Q-Tip (cotton bud) to clean the rails? Will it still evaporate quicky out of the cup?

Now that the newly-widened viaduct is in place, which was a major roadblock to progress on the layout, there's no excuses not to get started again on the landscaping. The whole layout's only maybe 1/4 done and I haven't really done much work since August. Hopefully warmer weather on the way will inspire me to get started again. Also the demise of Hatton's will shift my attention away from acquiring stock to doing some real work. Getting the 3D printer for Christmas was a big boost though. Things I had been putting off for dread of trying to scratchbuild accurate buildings are now coming to fruition by using Tinkercad to accurately design them from scratch and them print them as kits for assembly. So far I've done the signal box (finally started painting it last night), Chestwheel Bridge, an accurate version of the viaduct's center support, a condensed low-relief version of the Miller Street terrace and now working on a low-relief version of Brooksbottoms Mill/The Spinnings. I'm also partly though making up some L&YR-style platform benches and possibly some signal box interior details. The big goods shed will still be built with my usual scratchbuilding method with basswood and embrossed stone sheets, but I can use the 3D printer to design up some accurate windows now.

I might have to get LightRailwayStores to make me up one 😁

That spot looks really inspirational for a shunting layout.

The header on their website, as displayed in the top of this thread, says they are returning and to stay tuned. That's the basis of this thread. Not the tangent about gift certificates. Whether it's a website glitch, hack, etc. remains to be seen.

Here's the same set on eBay. It's PIKO. https://www.ebay.at/itm/175764706815

Looking in the 2012 Bachmann catalog, you are correct. Looks like it's missing stakes as well. This was in a replacement box with none of those accessories, unfortunately.

My final Hatton’s order arrived today — coincidentally three years to the day my first Hatton’s order arrived. So long and thanks for all the trains!

I just go to "Activity" then "Unread Content".

Very interesting! Thank you!

Question time again! Here's is a crop of the Summerseat signal box. There are two square objects hanging on the side of the building. One on the left, obscured by the stairs, seems to be a collecting tank for water from the gutter downspout. The L&YR Yorkshire Main Siding Signal Box (photo below) has something similar. What was the water collected in these used for? The one on the right looks like it has a pipe that comes out from the ground floor room. The downspout doesn't run into this one. What could it be?

There are a bunch of photos on Flickr of various diesel locomotives wearing a Star Trek reference -- "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE" headboard. All the photos date from either 2020 or 2013. Any idea what the headboard was for?

The LCUT laser-cut sections make the most sense and look the most prototypical and are super cheap as well. I've had good experiences with their products (signal box, platform decorative supports, valances).

New 1.2-amp controller has arrived and hooked up. I was also getting an obvious voltage drop on the farthest point from where the power wires attach, so I added some dropper wires and routed all of them through a power bus I got a couple years ago but hadn’t got around to installing. Everything runs beautifully now. It’s finally a warmish, sunny day here, so I’m going to get some spray filler primer on Miller Street terrace.

This weekend spent 3D-printing some (condensed) low-relief versions of Summerseat's Miller Street terrace that I drew up.

Yep, my 2014 version has front, rear and cab lights, all of which can be turned on or off with three tiny switches on the underside of boiler.

Motor was cleaned and serviced when it first arrived. Brushes and springs looked fine. The only thing I didn't check was the coils, since I'd have to remove the pinion gear to see the back of the armature, and I don't have a gear puller. Anyway, new higher-output controller has been purchased and is on the way.

Not sure. The 2003-tooling version was the only one I've sold on that I've weathered. I only had one bid on it (the winner) but then again the market for British outline stuff isn't that big on eBay here in the U.S. When you're limited on cash, sometimes you have to sell things on to fund something you'd like to have more. I really enjoyed weathering the 2003-version and I had wanted a Class 40 for so long that I was happy to finally have one. However, when the big Hatton's pre-Christmas sale had the 2014 version for £75, I couldn't resist. Everyone says how much better the newer version looked, plus it has lights and was £30 cheaper than the 2003 version I had bought. So I sold on the weathered one and used the proceeds to pay for the new one. I agree about altering locomotives though. Since I'm trying to go for locomotives that were allocated to Bury shed (26D), I've pretty much renamed/renumbered everything. Agree! I love a filthy workhorse. Once I get the new numbers on, the Class 40 and also a WD 2-8-0 are gonna get filthy-ized. Fun times ahead. Also, here's how my weathering looked on my old Class 40 that I sold.

I guess the collectors didn't like it, but items without the original box were usually the best bargains! I picked up a 2001-tooling Princess Elizabeth for £39 that was split from a train set with no original box. I was also really on the lookout for a Bachmann Class 105 -- the one I wanted appeared one day in the second-hand listings with its original box -- £130. I reluctantly passed on it. Two weeks later another appeared -- without the original box -- £69 in flawless condition.

Thank you for the explanation, gentlemen. I shall weather away then!

Same here! Although here in the eastern U.S. with the time difference, the new preowned listings would appear around 10 am - noon, with the email coming in around 12:30 pm. You knew once the email arrived to stop hitting "refresh" every 30 seconds because most of the time that would be all that was added for that day. Although there were often exceptions, with more stuff going up after the email. Prime pickings! That's why 25 of my 30 locomotives and 151 of my 162 pieces of rolling stock (not to mention several more that I've since sold on) are second-hand items from Hatton's!